


Changing Seasons

by dragondraws



Category: Flight Rising
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Opposites Attract, Slow Burn, buff farmer girl falls in love with ex-princess, more to be added as they become necessary!, soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-01-31 14:05:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18592777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragondraws/pseuds/dragondraws
Summary: Nervous and quiet Quin leaves her factory job in Lightning after the stress and oppressive environment slowly starts to destroy her. She sends out her plea to The Secrets, who gladly take her in and help her start up her new life as a farmer. It's there she meets Raila, a loud and outgoing noble who left behind her controlling family so she could finally be herself.  They never knew they could meet someone so amazing.





	1. Finding Home

Quin stared at the knapsack that was sitting on her bed, filled with the essentials for travel. Some food, a flask and what money she had. She sighed, slumping over and running her fingers through her mane, damp with sweat. Who knew running from home would be so nervewracking? But she knew she had to make use of the limited alone time she’d have. She brought her attention back to the empty parchment in front of her. She drew in a deep breath, and picked the quill back up. “Dear mother and father. By the time you read this, I’ll be far, far away…”

~3 weeks later~

It was hard to miss by the time she arrived. She’d been told to follow the Northern Coastal route, until she happened across a giant tree. Quin didn’t know how giant that was supposed to be, and was not prepared for what she came across.

The tree was leagues wide and leagues high. The trunk itself was wider than several imperials combined. The crown of the tree was so high, it seemed tipped with frost, yet as far as Quin could tell the whole tree was healthy. She shuffled her wings, nervous. All of a sudden it seemed so real. Not just the lair, but the clan. Even from where she was she could see dragons in the air, and even a few moving shapes on the ground. She grabbed her knapsack, pulling out the letter that was safely stowed away.  
_Dear Quin,_  
Thank you for sending your letter. We hear of your plight and we feel for you. Lightning territory has been beyond our reach recently, but let it be known that if you ever need a hand, we will do what we can to help. Leaving a familiar environment for an unfamiliar one is a huge step, but if you ever feel you can’t handle it anymore, remember that we are here, and we will take you in happily. If you wish to join us, come into light along the northern coastal route. Follow it for a few weeks, and you should come across our clan. It’s hard to miss us, we live in a giant tree.  
Yours truly, Ara Shadowborn and the collective Secrets.  
Quin stifled a snort. A giant tree indeed. She clutched the letter tight, hoping it’d be enough to allow her entrance, and walked forwards to her future.

As she came closer, the empty fields turned into lush pastures, grazing animals mulling about. Just beyond, Quin could see rows upon rows of crops, swaying in the gentle sea breeze. She smiled to herself. This was her future. This was how she would be spending her life. She watched a dragon tending the field, and felt as though her whole world had grown bigger.  
“Hey! Are you Quin?” A sudden voice called, snapping her out of her daydreams. She looked up to see a nocturne flying above her, looking down with a cocked head. Quin jumped in surprise, stepping back for a moment.  
“I… yes? How did you know?” She asked. The nocturne coasted down to land in front of her, extending a slimy-looking hand. Quin took it cautiously, shaking paws with the nocturne.  
“I’m Kage. Shadow Representative, and part of the council. Well hey, you’re shadow too! Surprise surprise. Considering where your letter came from, I thought you’d be from, well… lightning.” She said with a sheepish laugh. “All of us in the council saw your letter. You don’t exactly look like anyone from the clan, and you certainly seem buff enough to be a labor worker in a factory. Just took a guess.” She babbled. Quin blinked, amazed at how much this dragon could talk.  
“Oh, uh... Thanks, I think? Is there… anything I’m supposed to do? Where do I go? Am I doing this right? I’m not am I… I’m sorry.” She apologised. Kage smiled, rubbing her shoulder.  
“Hey, slow down champ. It’s all good. You literally just arrived. Unless you came in magic blazing, shooting at us all it’s kinda hard to do anything _wrong_. Come on, I’ll take you to Ara. She’ll get you settled in!” Kage crowed.

The closer Quin was lead to the tree, the more she realised the sheer scale of it. Stepping into it’s shadows she felt instantly colder, and couldn’t help but shiver for a moment from the sudden temperature change. They were up on a cliff, which overlooked a wide beach, then a beautiful blue bay. Kage lead her down a long winding path down the side of the cliff, hidden from the view of the beach by one of the giant tree roots. Down on the beach, Quin looked back at the tree and gasped.  
“You live in…. That?” She asked with amazement, staring at the giant hole in the side of the cliff, reinforced by the thick binding roots of the tree. Kage laughed, giving Quin a look.  
“Well, yeah? Where did you think we lived? In the tree branches, like some slagging nature clan?” She snorted. Quin glanced away, rubbing her arm.  
“Uh… yea, kinda. Sorry.” She muttered. Kage sighed, rubbing her head, before shrugging it off and pulling Quin along into the chasm.  
“Don’t worry about it. C’mon, let’s find Ara. It’s early in the day, I suspect she’s up in the council room.” She chattered, leading Quin along. Quin was expecting the walls and floor of this cave to be rough, as any cave would be, and was stunned to see how smooth they were. The stone beneath her feet was cold and smooth, leaving a surprisingly nice sensation. The cave was not dark either, but very well lit with glowing orbs. Quin knew she should have expected as such from a light clan, but every new thing she saw surprised her regardless. The sides of the cavern were lined with doors of various sizes, small enough for a fae and big enough for an imperial. Kage saw Quin looking at the many doors and grinned.  
“Those are the dens! Each door leads to a series of rooms for our residents and guests to sleep in. There’s a main chamber, with sleeping and leisure accommodation, a washing room and storage room for a dragon’s private hoard. We share most we own, but everyone has their own bits and bobs they keep for themselves.” She explained, waving at the doors as they walked past. “Once I take you to Ara she’ll talk a few things through to you, then get you settled into your own den. We have a lot of vacancies at the moment, so there will be plenty to choose from.” She babbled. Quin was stunned.  
“My own den?” She asked. Kage looked back at her and nodded in a well-yeah gesture, leaving Quin only more amazed. “We didn’t even have our own private sleeping quarters at the factory. Each division was just thrown together. Our schedules were different so at least there wasn’t 20 dragons crammed in one room, but alone time was rare.” She mused. Kage gave Quin a supportive smile, trying to remain upbeat.  
“Yeah well, you’re here now. We know privacy is important. You can sleep alone, with a mate… or mates. Family, friends. Your familiar… say, you don’t have a familiar do you…” She trailed off, muttering to herself. Quin chewed her lip. She didn’t even know what Kage was talking about now. Yet more new things to grow accustomed to.

It took several minutes to walk the entire length of the cave, until eventually they reached the end where a large set of double doors sat waiting. Kage pushed them open without hesitation, beckoning Quin to follow. Inside were several important-looking dragons were milling about inside, talking with one another. All heads turned as Kage and Quin walked through, the nocturne already shouting.  
“Helllooo! Nice to see you all this morning. Ara, I stumbled across none other than our little ex-factory worker while out stretching my wings! Isn’t she a peach?” She cheered. A blue mirror, the one Kage addressed as Ara, rolled her eyes and waved her aside.  
“Hush down Kage, you’re far too loud. Thank you for bringing her in though.” She said, bowing her head at Kage who bowed in response. Ara turned her attention to Quin, a smile lighting up her face.  
“So you must be Quin! Come, come, sit down. Let’s talk this all out for a moment before we get you settled in. Welcome to The Secrets.”


	2. How Wonderful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quin and Ara have a little chat.

Quin sat down at the arranged cushions Ara gestured at. Ara smiled, waving away most of the dragons in the room aside from three, a small brown fae, a large grey imperial and small yellow skydancer.  
“We’re the heads of the council. As I’m sure you’ve gathered, I’m Ara, the leader of this clan. This here is Oras, co-leader and my mate. We have Aura, who is also our head healer, and Astrid our head artist and cultural advisor. We make up the heads of the council. The others in here, including Kage, were the Flight Representatives who make up the rest of the council.” She explained. Quin nodded silently, taking it all in. Already it was a lot of information to process. “Don’t worry about remembering too much. It’s a lot to take in. You’ll meet everyone else all in good time. Now then, about your past life. Is there anything you can tell us beyond what was in your letter that may be important?” Ara asked, bright purple eyes peering. Quin wrung her hands together, trying to put together words.  
“Well… uhm… I don’t know what would be important? I guess… the job was physically taxing and both mentally and emotionally stressful. It was my job to move the processed materials onto another conveyer for further processing and sorting. They were very heavy, but I didn’t have many breaks. I guess uhh… the upside is I’m very strong?” She stammered, letting out a weak laugh. Ara smiled, nodding at Astrid who was writing notes down.  
“No wonder you left. Lightning factories are always hit-or-miss on how they treat their workers. They either treat them with utmost respect and humanity, as most do, or like objects. There’s rarely any inbetween.” She stated. Quin blinked in surprise. Of course she knew other factories existed, but the fact they treated workers with respect was a strange concept, plus the fact this clan seemed familiar with many.  
“How many are there like me?” She asked in a small voice, looking only slightly hopeful. Ara sighed, shrugging.  
“Not many. You’re one of the few who’s realised that you can get away from that environment. We’ve seen a few like you, but none have stayed… on that note, are you planning on being a permanent resident, or just temporary? We’ll be happy to assist you in any way you need if you choose to move on.” She queried. Quin coughed nervously, the forwardness of the question surprising her.  
“Uh, permanent… I mean, I don’t know. It depends? It seems really nice here. Yeah… I’ll stay.” She mumbled. Ara laughed, rubbing Quin’s arm kindly.  
“Don’t worry about making any big choices just yet hun! It’s ok, we can give you a while to settle in and see if this is the life for you. And on that note, is there any particular role you want to take up? Everyone here contributes to the clan in some way. If you want to learn more about what’s out there, we have free education. I’m sure Petal would be happy to-”  
“Farmer.” Quin blurted, cutting Ara off. She blinked, covering her mouth in surprise. “Sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to cut you off, it’s just that I… I really want to be a farmer.” She explained in a fretful voice. Ara laughed again, sitting back with a smile.  
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. That’s totally fine! It’s great you’ve already got a good idea on what you want to do. And don’t worry, we can always use a hand in the farms. They’re one of the leading contributors to our economy.” She said. Quin nodded, some of her worry melting away. Ara smiled at her, a kind look in her eye. She took in deep breath and sighed, shoulders drooping.  
“Now, before we go get you settled in… I’m sorry if this is a sensitive question, but it’s important to ask now. Do you think you might need therapy? You seem very on edge, it’s totally understandable if what happened in your past has left a mark.” She asked in a quiet voice. Quin cocked her head, not quite following what Ara was asking.  
“Therapy? I’m sorry, so many concepts in this clan are totally new to me. I mean, as it is I can’t believe I’m going to have my own room.” She mentioned with a nervous laugh, rubbing her arm. Ara grimaced, looking at Quin with concern.  
“Dear me. I’m sorry, I’m just surprised. We don’t get dragons like you often, so shut off from basic needs… Therapy is something we do to help you through any emotional and mental burden. Our therapist is highly skilled and has helped dragons just like you before. So if you’re having any issues at all with your mental health, she can help you through it.” Ara explained. Quin blinked, surprised a service like that even existed, let alone was such a common thing as Ara had implied. Quin shook her head, smiling at the mirror.  
“Thank you, but I’m ok. I will admit I’m tired, but I think that’s because I went from such a stressful job to three weeks travel, y’know? I’m ok.” She assured, for once looking confident. Ara sat back again with a smile, somewhat convinced.  
“Ok then! Remember though, if you ever need help, we have it. You’ll meet the therapist, Murmur, soon anyway. She’s hard to avoid.” Ara explained, letting out a bark of laughter. She stood, gesturing at Quin to do the same. “Anyway! Let’s get you a room. Come, I’ll show you what’s available.”

Ara had shown Quin about briefly, showing her where she could find important places such as the kitchens, library and smith, before taking her around the dens to let her pick out a location that was to her liking. Eventually, Quin settled on a den close to the entrance.  
“Marvellous! I’ll give you a brief tour of the den and it’s rooms then leave you be for the day. But ah, before we do that. Here, take this. Clan-issued pocketwatches. Great way to track time. At 7pm is when we hold dinner. If you’re not up for it don’t sweat it, the crowd does get big. You can come in any time before or after and talk to the kitchen staff, they’ll get you sorted.” Ara explained, thrusting a small golden locket into Quin’s paws before pushing the door open. Quin smiled to herself, grateful for the gift as the pulled it over her head, following Ara through the doorway. 

Inside was a sight she could not believe. A beautiful large room with a domed ceiling. The floor was made of the same grey stone as the cave outside, but the walls and ceiling were a beautiful white, a stone she didn’t recognise. The room was mostly empty, on one side was a bare table with a few cushions resting beside it, and on the other was a shallow ditch filled with even more cushions.  
“We try to make sure your main room has lots of space. The table and bed are some bare necessities but we try to leave it open for customisation. You can do what you’d like to this room. Make it your own. Oh, and don’t worry about noise. The next den over is quite close, but these walls are imbued with magic. Very soundproof. We know privacy is important.” Ara explained. Quin nodded silently, not trusting her own words. Ara opened one of the doors at the back, gesturing for Quin to follow.

Inside was what Quin realised to be a washroom. There was a sink with a few glasses set about it, a toilet and what she realised was a bath.  
“The sink can be used to clean up but also for a quick drink. The water is filtered and is lovely and cool.” Ara explained. Quin blinked, walking over to the bath and running her hand along it’s edge.  
“I haven’t seen one of these in a long time…” She whispered, trailing off slowly. Ara offered Quin a supportive smile, beckoning her to follow once again.  
“You’ll have to make sure you enjoy that then! Nothing like a hot bath when you’re tired. The last room is a storage room. I don’t need to show you. Big, lots of shelves. Keep all your various personal belongings in there.” She said, waving at the door they now stood next to, back in the main room. “And I think that concludes this! If you have any changes you want made let us know. One of our mostly recently joined members added an entire kitchen to the side of their room! Had to practice his cooking he said. Basically, nothing is unreasonable.” Ara finished up with a smile, looking about the room and back at Quin. Quin took in a deep breath, trying to hold back her emotions.   
“Thank you. Thank you so much.” She mumbled, tears starting to roll down her face. Ara walked forwards, wiping off the tears.  
“Oh hun. Thank you for coming to us. Every time a new life joins us I’m filled with joy. Yet another soul we can help. Thank you.” Ara crooned, wrapping Quin up into a hug. Quin squeezed Ara tightly, trying not to cry too much into Ara’s nice jacket. Eventually she pulled back, wiping at her face. Ara gave Quin one last smile, before bowing her head.  
“And with that I shall take my leave. Welcome to The Secrets Quin. We’re so happy to have you here.” She said with finality, before walking back through the tunnel and out the door. Quin tossed her knapsack on the table and collapsed on the pile of cushions. She was amazed at how comfortable they were. She closed her eyes, pulling a cushion over her face to try and hide her tears. She never knew she could be this fortunate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! Actually wrote this a while ago, only uploading it now. Chap 3 is soon to come!

**Author's Note:**

> Heeere's chapter one! I have no clue when the next chapter will be up. Expect this to be slow orz I'm not always the most motivated writer.


End file.
